Helping the planet by restoring instead of replacing damaged items in the home

Protecting your investment

At Zurich, we have a bold ambition to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world. However what does that mean in reality for policyholders, should they need to make a home insurance claim?

Restoration vs replace

Surfaces in the home can become damaged by fire, impact, theft or accidentally and often we see the extent of the damage as fairly minor - for example, a chip, crack, scratch or scorch mark. Zurich customers can request a cash settlement to manage their own repairs, however most of our policyholders prefer to use one of our approved suppliers to carry out the works on their behalf. Previously if a damaged surface had a defect, it was customary to replace the entire unit such as a kitchen worktop, bath or sink - this was due to a lack of skilled technicians within the marketplace. In contrast, in light of technological advances and techniques; we are now in partnership with one of the UK’s leading surface repair and restoration specialists, Plastic Surgeon. The company is part of the Polygon Group with ISO 14001 accreditation, which verifies long-term commitment to sustainable damage management, minimising pollution, reducing energy usage and waste. It uses state of the art technology and deploys a single skilled technician onsite to carryout a high quality restoration process - meaning repairs are carried out quickly at the home and there are no delays caused by having to order and fit an entire new unit. They’re so accomplished at what they do, they can tackle a multitude of services and colour match the final look to perfection. So whether something’s chipped, cracked or stained, they have the restorative solution to make it look as good as new.

Claire Varney, Property Technical Claims Manager, and Robert Ford, Property Claims Vendor Manager, discuss our partnership with Plastic Surgeon and our repair vs replace commitment.

Serious about reducing our impact on the planet

Our customers tell us that they want the claims process to be simple, fast and easy to understand, and secondly supportive of sustainable alternatives as part of the claims settlement process. We interviewed over 150 policyholders to ask them what they thought about our repair vs replace initiative. The results were heavily in favour of restoring rather than providing a complete replacement for cosmetic damage. Respondents said speed and ease of claims process were the main benefits they could foresee following the adoption of a sustainable method, while many felt it would be simply ‘doing the right thing’.

Due to our ambition to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world, we strive for a positive impact on society and our planet in everything we do, from the way we treat our customers and employees, to the suppliers we choose to work with and the companies we invest in. For that reason we are passionate about reducing waste and the more we can restore, the less waste has to be sent to landfill. Currently across the industry we have saved a massive 9000 tonnes per year going into landfill, while reducing our overall carbon footprint by avoiding full strip-outs and entire replacement of impaired areas. We can expect to see an on-going universal reduction in claims touchpoints, less reliance on multi-trades in the supply chain, reduced travel and less energy usage.

Benefits to customers

Since the pandemic and lockdowns last year we have seen an increase in accidental damage claims as more customers and their families are spending longer at home and because of this we need to work differently. The Covid-crisis has also sent the global supply chain into turbulence and certain materials are becoming difficult to source and this is adding delays to property damage claims. A shortage of skilled labour in the UK is also having an impact on claims settlement times in some areas - we're responding to this by adapting the way we work, allowing us to continue to support policyholders through these challenging times.

There are a number of customer benefits due to the improved claims approach, such as:

1. The average time to complete a repair is just six days from instruction - with 95% of claims completed on the first visit. As a result, customers can expect less disruption and an improved customer journey
2. As some building materials and labour trades are in short supply - this reduces the extended waiting periods required for replacement and decorating
3. Diminishes the possible requirements for alternative accommodation in some instances
4. Customers can access an online portal to see the status of the claim and manage appointments
5. All repairs come with a 24 month guarantee
6. Repairs can be expertly colour matched so that discontinued or hard to source items can be matched to blend with the entire setting
7. Overall customers can benefit from an even better claims outcome and experience, as its hassle-free and less disruptive for householders

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